PRESS QUOTES

…where [Doris] Day’s notes were strung together like cultured pearls — creamy, lustrous and perfectly round — Cooper’s are closer to the freshwater variety; smokier, more angular and less precisely uniiform, yet fully as beautiful. Cooper is further unique among her contemporaries in that she’s equally accomplished as a saxophonist…Cooper alternates between hauntingly naked sax licks and languorous vocals…JAZZTIMES MAGAZINE, USA

Of all the vocalists to emerge in the past ten years, the Canadian singer and saxophonist Sheila Cooper is the the most interesting. Gifted with a cool timbre, sophisticated approach, and a precise and delicate measure of expression, Cooper is in league with the most revered white singers of the fifties from June Christy to Helen Merrill. Exceptional among her colleagues is the fact that she is also a very talented saxophone player.ALL ABOUT JAZZ – ITALY

Ms. Cooper has long been one of the jazz world’s best-kept secrets. Cooper’s sonorous, multi-textural saxophone sings with a genderless human ache. As a vocalist, Cooper is a no-nonsense, in-tune purist … Every note is placed perfectly, with a knowing, sadder-but-wiser nuance.THE WHOLE NOTE, TORONTO

…what an inspired and creative pairing … Tales of Love and Longing is a recording of incredible warmth and intimacy…enormous depth of feeling…achingly beautiful reading… tour de force.JAZZWISE MAGAZINE, UK

Canadian-born, NYC-based singer and saxophonist Cooper has developed her own self-assured sound as both a vocalist and altoist – her refreshingly simple, unfussy delivery befits her Konitz-esque sax tone while her unpretentious singing draws on her narrative abilities over excessive reliance on technique. RECOMMENDED.TIMEOUT LONDON, UK

From the first note, Sheila Cooper was in the driver’s seat, moving from vocals to horn with dazzling dexterity. This startling duality told listeners they’d better pay attention: this would be a multi-faceted evening.THE VIENNA REVIEW, AUSTRIA

Sheila Cooper is a talented singer who also plays alto, or is she actually a Lee Konitz-inspired altoist who also sings? On Tales of Love and Longing, she performs duets with veteran pianist Fritz Pauer that — given her two talents — seem like trios…a set of slow ballads, sung with an aching longing and very sincere feeling by a subtle singer who shows a great deal of promise.ALL MUSIC GUIDE, USA

…a beautiful and soulfully sung collection of real jazz standards delivered as pure jazz…. with the added bonus of her excellent saxophone-playing.ALL ABOUT JAZZ – NEW YORK

Duo records can be a real challenge — and this one is more than a well intentioned jazz/cabaret set — it is one of the standard bearers that will find an audience despite being on a small label. The bar has been raised for this genre. Hot stuff.MIDWEST RECORD, USA

Sheila Cooper is a subtly dramatic storytelling vocalist and alto sax player …Whether she is singing or playing alto, her music has a plaintive quality that gives every phrase extra poignancy… blues for the very sophisticated.TUCSON CTITZEN, USA

This album brims with extraordinary performances that are simultaneously hot and cool. Through her lush, honeyed vocals and her sultry sax passages, Cooper proves magnetic.PALO ALTO NEWS, USA

Sheila Cooper is a jazz import from Canada and utterly a multi-talent. She not only plays alto saxophone, but also has an equally wonderful command of her voice. Purely sung melodies are followed by effortless saxophone improvisations. It is obvious that she lives in the moment with each instrument. The album is very emotional, so pure, so unabashedly direct! Like an arrow, it hits exactly the place that is concealed deep within the soul.JAZZ DIMENSIONS, GERMANY

Cooper charms with multi-faceted saxophone-playing, and like every great singer she not only knows how to fascinate with notes, but to create a deep connection between heartfelt tranquility and ominous silence.SAMIR H KOECK, DIE PRESSE, AUSTRIA

Canadian alto saxophonist Sheila Cooper is also a good singer. Her instrumental and vocal abilities cross-fertilize to make her performances both rounded and deep. Sheila’s vocal phrasing reflects her command of jazz saxophone, while her understanding of the lyrics is revealed in the melodic charm of her instrumental solos… she is accompanied here by Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer. Together, they form an exceptional duo and on a set of mainly standards they never put a finger wrong.JAZZ JOURNAL UK

The New Yorker carves a place for herself out of the ghosts of tradition, revitalizing old songs into a powerpack of poetry, easily accomplished through her subtle charms. And with such tasteful warmth, such earthy originality, that one must really take one’s hat off to her. With her elegant, warm voice and the tender sound of her alto saxophone, Sheila Cooper steals the hearts of many a jazz enthusiast.DIE RHEINPLATZ, GERMANY